Methods and means for preparing and laying sheet metal roofing



June 1956 G. H. HUNTINGTON 2,

METHODS AND MEANS FOR PREPARING AND LAYING SHEET METAL ROOFING Filed Jan. 8, 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet l June 26,1956

Filed Jan. 8, 1951 G H.HUNHNGTON 2J5173 METHODS AND MEANS FOR PREPARING AND LAYING SHEET METAL ROOFING 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 United States Patent METHODS AND MEANS FOR PREPARING AND LAYING SHEET'METAL'ROOFING Glen H. Huntington, Denver, Colo.

Application January 8, 1951, Serial No. 204,952

4 Claims. (Cl. 29-429) This invention relates to a method and means for applying sheet metal roofing, more particulary the type of roofing illustrated and described in .applicants prior Patent No. 2,408,557, issued October 1, 1946.

Roofing of this type is usually supplied in long strips which require expensive crating to prevent damage to the strips by bending or kinking. The length of the strips is definitely limited, not only by the crating problems, but by the length of the railway cars and trucks used for transporting the strips. As a result the strips must often be pieced or joined on the job to provide the lengths required. This not only adds to the labor costs of installation, but results in joints or seams which may open to cause leakage.

The principal object of. this invention is to provide a method and means for installing'roofing ofithis' type "which will eliminate all expensive crating, and which will allow strips of any desired length to be formed-directly on the job without joints or seams'intheir lengths.

Other objects of'the inventionare to'provide a method and means whereby long stripsof sheet metal roofing will be delivered in placeon theroof withoutadditional hoisting equipment and without danger of bending, kinking, or damaging the roofing, and whereby allstorage of strips on the job and on the roof will be eliminated.

Other objects and advantages reside in the detail con struction of the invention, which is designed for simplicity, economy, and efliciency. These will become more apparent from the following description.

Briefly, the objects of the invention are attained by supplying the required metal to the job in coils or rolls containing many hundredsof feet of flexible metal of the required width, kind, and weight, thence forming the metal into continuous formed strips on an incline corresponding to and connecting with .the roof. to be. covered, the forming mechanism acting to slide the formed strips directly into place on the roofwit-hout bending or distorting the strips in any way. Each strip is cut from the continuously flowing strip to provide individual, in place, strips of the desired length.

In the following detailed description of the invention, reference is had to the accompanying drawing which forms a part hereof. Like numerals-refer to like parts in all views of the drawing and throughout the description.

In the drawings:

Fig. l is a side view of a typical arrangement for employing the improved method to install sheet metal roofing on a typical roof;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the arrangement of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged top view of a strip-forming mechanism employed in the improved process;

Figs. 4 and 5 are cross-sections, taken on the lines 4-4 and 55, respectively, Fig. 3;

Fig. 6 is an enlarged, fragmentary, perspective view, illustrating a type of roofing to which the improved method and means is applicable; and

Fig. 7 is a side view of an alternate form of device for carrying out the improved method.

Sheet metal roofing of the type to which this invention applies consists of elongated sheet metal roofing strips 10 having theirtwo side edges turned upwardly at right angles to the plane of the strips to form vertical side flanges 11. Adjacent strips are secured to the roof by means of clips 13 having hooked extremities 14 for en gaging the flanges 11 of two'adjacent strips and provided with a central nail hole for receiving an attachment nail 15 for securing the clips to roof sheathing'16.

The clips 13 maintain the adjacent strips in parallel, spaced-apart relation, and the interveningspace is covered by an elongated batten strip 17 having downwardly turned sides 18 terminating in inwardly turned hooked edges 19. The hooked edges 19 engage beneath the hooked extremities 14 of the clips 13 to maintain the batten strips 17 in place.

It can be readily seen that it is impossible to bend the strips 10 or the batten strip 17 in any direction without distorting or kinking the latter, due to the angularly turned edges 11, 1'8, and 19. Therefore, means are provided for placing both the strips 10 and-the strips 17 upon the roof sheathing 16 without distortion.

This is accomplished by delivering the metal for the strips in long, flat bands 20 and 21 which are rolled in coils. At the job, the coiled strips or hands 20 and 21 are mounted on demountable reels 22 upon a reel base 23. The band 20 provides the metal for the strips '10, and the band 21 provides the-metal for the-strips '17. The metal band 29 is unrolled onto a channel table 24, and

. the band 21 is unrolled onto a similar narrower channel table 25. The tables 24 and '25 are supported upon suitable demountable legs 26. The tables are supported at their forward extremities from a portable truck frame 27 mounted on wheels 28. The truck frame is provided with suitable attachment means 12 to which the forward extrernities of the tables 24 and 25 are secured.

A tilting frame 30 is pivotally mounted by means of hinge ears 29 upon a suitable hinge shaft 31 on the truck 27. The tilting frame 30 is supported at any desired incline by means of angle posts 32. Attachment straps 33 extend from the tilting frame 30 to suitable attachment bolts 34 on the posts 32. The tilting frame supports two sets of roller frames 35 and 36.

The sheet metal band 20 is led from its roll or coil over the table 24 and onto an apron 37, from whence it passes between a pair of pressure rolls 38 and a pair of flanging rolls 39 which form the roofing strips 10 with their upstanding side flanges 11. The pairs of rolls 38 and '39 are driven in any desired manner, such as from a suitable electric motor 40 through the medium of 'a drive belt 41 and intermeshing gears 42. Y

The continuous formed strip 10 passes from the pair of flanging rolls 39 onto an inclined chute 43. The lower extremity of the chute 43 is supported from the truck frame, such as by an adjustable angle beam 44 which is adjustably secured upon the posts 32 by means of suitable attachment bolts 45. The chute 43 extends to, and on the incline of, the roof upon which the roofing is to be placed, indicated at 46. Suitable removable attachment means may be provided on the chute 43, as indicated at 47, for attaching the chute to the eave of the roof 46.

The strip 10 is forced onto the roof and to the ridge of the latter under the power of the motor 40. It can then be cut from the continuous strip to the desired length for the selected roof 46.

The set of roller frames 36 carry a series of pairs of forming rolls 48 driven in any desired manner, such as from the motor 40 through a suitable belt drive 49 and intermeshing gears 50. The pairs of forming rolls 48 are of the usual continuous strip-forming type and are designed to progressively form the continuous band of metal 21 into the cross-sectional shape of the batten strip 17, as shown in Figs. 5 and 6.

The completely formed, continuous batten strip 17 flows from the forming rolls 48 onto a second inclined chute 51 leading to the roof 46, where the batten strips are delivered continuously under the power of the rolls 48.

The strips and 17 may be cut to the desired lengths after they reach the roof, or, if preferred, they may be cut to the desired lengths on the receiving tables 24 and 25, thence delivered to the roof through the forming rolls by means of the chutes 43 and 51.

It will be noted that the above method of applying strip type sheet metal roofing obviates crating and handling the formed strips. It also eliminates any possibility of. damaging the strips-by bending or kinking, and it avoids all joints in the lengths of the strips. The metal is simply delivered to any size job in rolls and only sufficient metal need to be formed to complete the selected roof, the excess remaining in its coiled, easily handled form for use on the next succeeding job.

The tables 24 and 25, and the forming truck 27 with its delivery chute 43, are all easily portable so that they may be moved from job to job or along the roof of a single job. Nohoisting equipment of any kind is necessary.

In Fig. 7 an alternate form of forming truck is illustrated, consisting of a truck chassis 52 mounted on rear wheels 54 and arranged to be towed from a suitable tow car by means of a draw bar 58. When disconnected from the tow car, the forward extremity of the chassis 52 is leveled and supported on jacks 55. Metal band reels 56 are mounted'directly on the chassis 52 and feed into the forming machines previously described. The incline of the forming machines is regulated by means of a lever jack arrangement 53.

In the alternate form the measuring tables are eliminated and the measuring is done continuously by means of a rotary lineal measuring unit 57, through which the band passes on its Way to the forming rolls.

In most cases it will be found impossible, or at least impractical, to move the device along the length of the root. In such cases the strips 10 and 17 will be formed and cut to proper length and piled in the chutes 43 and 51, from which they may be easily withdrawn by the workmen for application to the roof.

While the invention has for, descriptive purposes, been described as placing roofing strips upon What is generally known as a roof, it is, of course, obvious that the same means and method could be used for applying similar strips to floors, platforms, sides, and walls of buildings and similar structures, if desired.

While a specific form of the improvement has been described and illustrated herein, it is to be understood that the same may be varied, within the scope of the appended claims, without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed and desired secured by Letters Patent is:

1. A device for forming and laying sheet metal roofing comprising: a wheeled truck frame; a hinge shaft supported by said truck frame; a tilting frame hingedly mounted at its one extremity on said hinge shaft and extending over said truck frame; adjustable means supporting the free extremity of said tilting frame at any desired height; a plurality of strip-forming rolls rotatably supported by said tilting frame in parallel, aligned relation; means for supporting a reel of sheet metal strip adjacent the hinged extremity of said tilting frame; a delivery chute; adjustable supporting means supporting one extremity of said delivery chute in aligned relation with said rolls; and means for supporting the other extremity of said delivery chute at an elevation to cause the chute to incline in correspondence with the incline of said tilting frame.

2. Transportable apparatus for forming and delivering preformed roofing strips to a inclined roof comprising: a movable truck for carrying the apparatus; a reel positioned adjacent said truck for feeding a continuous band of material to be formed into roofing strips; strip forming and advancing means comprising a series of forming rolls mounted on an inclined platform in position to receive the band of material from said reel; a channel shaped delivery chute forming a continuation of said inclined platform at the same inclination therewith; means for supporting said platform in its inclined position embodying means for varying the inclination of said platform and chute so as to correspond to the inclination of the roof; means at the extremity of the chute for attaching the same to the edge of a roof; and means for driving said forming rolls whereby the strip may be advanced as it is formed so as to deliver a preformed strip from said chute onto said inclined roof.

3. Transportable apparatus for forming and delivering preformed roofing strips to an inclined roof as defined in claim 2, wherein said inclination varying means includes toggle mechanism and screw adjusting means for said toggle.

4. .A method of forming and laying a length of formed strip material upon an inclined roof in one continuous operation, comprising: positioning a series of forming rolls and a delivery chute on a platform, at an inclination substantially the same as that of the inclined roof and in alignment therewith; advancing a strip of roof material, as it is formed, up said incline; utilizing the advancing action of the forming rolls to feed a formed strip up the incline at an angle corresponding to the angle of the roof; and shifting the platform laterally as required, so as to present the strip to the desired point along the roof.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 836,938 Nelson Nov. 27, 1906 1,262,092 Preston Apr. 9, 1918 1,276,222 Huginin Aug. 20, 1918 2,062,875 Gardner Dec. 1, 1936 2,159,771 Schlicht May 23, 1939 2,200,605 Pierce May 14, 1940 2,294,324 Wilkens et a1 Aug. 25, 1942 

